Take-up device for flexible conductors



June 28,- 1932. C, 1 COBERLY ET AL ,1,864,891

TAKEUP DEVICE FOR FLEXIBLE CONDUCTORS Filed Feb. 4, 1930 ing relatively Patented June 28, 1932 unirseSTATESPATENT orFicE i CLARENCE J. COBERLY AND ERNEST S. CROASDALEOF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, AS-

SIGNORS TO KGBE INC., 0F BNTINGTO CALIFORNIA ,Y

N PARK, CALIFORNA, A CORPORATION-0F s vTAKE-in?nnvrcn ron FLEXiBLE coNnUorons Application sied February 4, v1930. serial No. 425,840.

This invention relates to adevice for holdtautv a plurality of conductors whichl are carried from a stationary member to a movable member. As an illustration of the utility ofV the present invention, reference is'made to the Patent No. 1,585,893, issued May 25, 1926,'130 Clarence'J. Coberly, for a pipe slotting machine. -This pipe slotting machine has a movable carriage .which is adapted to travel along a length of pipe in which slots are to be cut by oXygen jets. The entire apparatus carried by the carriage includes electric motors for operating small drills by which the pipe is rst perforated; heating rtorches which utilize oxygen and acetylene, or other gases, to pre-heat the pipe previous to the application of jets of oxygen ybywhich to cut slots; cylinder-piston opervating devices which utilize air under pessure; and cooling devices which utilize a flow o cold water for keeping the operating parts of the equipment'of the carriage at a desired low temperature.

Y The supplying of requisite mediums to the apparatus or equipment of thek carriage'requires conductors, such as cablestor electric current and exible tubes or hose for gases and liquids. Our invention comprehends a simple and eicient means for keeping these conductors relatively taut so that. there will so that they will be at all times out of the wayof the workmen and so that the delivery ends of such conductors may readily travel along with the carriage without interfering with the-operation of the carriage in any manner whatsoever.

An object o the invention is to provide a take-up device which will automatically compensate or elongation and contraction of the conductors forvarious reasons which include change in temperature and change in pressure within those conductors employed for carrying fluids under pressure fromA a control or valve station to a movable carriage or mechanism.

A Jfurther object of the invention is'to provide a simple and effective sheave construction in which a traveling frame is employed, p

this traveling frame 'having a plurality ofy tion, which upright position relatively movable sheaves thereon and means, 'such as weights, for applying forces to tauten the respective conductorswhichare carried around the sheaves.

A further object of the invention is to provide a casing which may be set into the ground so as to form a well, this vcasing hav'- ing substantially vertical guide members therein on which the Jframe of the take-up device may slide during its operation.

Further'objects and advantages of the invention will be made evident throughout the following part of the specification.

Referring vto the drawing which is forillustrative purposes only, 1

Fig. 1 is a partly sectioned elevational view showing au'tility of the invention.

FigQ is an enlarged horizontal cross section on a plane represented by thev line 2-2 f of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross section taken principally on a plane represented bythe line 3-3 of Fig.' 1, but onelof the sheaves thereof .and its associated mechanism being sectioned as indicated by the line 8er-3a.y

Fig. l is an enlarged horizontal cross section on a plane represented by the line 4.-4

of Fig. 1.

Fig. .5 is `an elevational view showing the inner face of a plate member employed 'in the be no possibility of their becoming entangled, i practice or the invention to orm slide members bywhich sheaves are slidably secured to the rame'member of the take-up device. y In Fig.' 1 of the drawing we show a casing 11, lwhichmay consist of a pipe' of suitably large diameter, set into the 'ground or vsubmerged below a floor 12 in an upright posiis intended to conveyk the meaning of any position, between. vertical and horizontal, of suiiicient slope to cause movement vby gravity of a take-up device 13v along guides 14 which may be secured longitudinally within the casing in diametrally opposing positions, as shown in Figs. 1 through 4. The take-up device 18,

` in its simple form constituting a preferred embodiment, consistsof a frame 15 having upper and lower substantially horizontal end lates 16 and 17 and slide bars 18 eXtendin substantially vertically between the en plates and being secured thereto by either nuts 20 applied to threaded ends 21 which project through holes in an end plate such as 16, or cap screws 22 which are extended through an end plate such as 17 into threaded engagement with the ends of the bars 18; a primary loop engaging element or sheave 24 which rotates on a pin 25 extended laterally through a U-shaped bracket 26 vwhich projects downwardly in centralized position from the lower end plate 17V; and a plurality of secondary sheaves 27 which are held in slidable relationship to the frame 15 by slide members 28, the end plates 16 and 17 having notches 19 therein which engage the guides 14. As shown in Fig. 3, the bars 18 are arranged in pairs so as to form substantially vertical slides having engagement with grooves 29 in the vertical edges of the slide members 28. As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the secondary members or slide members 28 which are held' in slidable relationship to a primary member formed by the frame 15 each consist of a pair of cooperating side plates 30 which are secured together by bolts 3.2, shown in Fig. 1, which bolts are exe tended through holes 33 in the pairs of side plates 30, the heads and nuts of such bolts being received in recesses 34 in the side plates 30, as shown in Fig. 1. Each of the side plates 30, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, has an annular recess 36 therein adapted to receive a sheave 27, and upwardly extending chan- 'nels 37 which, when the plates are placed together, cooperate to form openings through which a conductor may be carried to and from a sheave 27. As shown best in Fig. 3, the plates 30, when bolted together, hold a bearing member 38 in proper position to rotatablyk support a sheave 27 in its enclosing recess 36. Asshown in Fig. 1, a loop 40 of a conductor or flexible member 41 is carried over the primary sheave 24, the upper ends of the loop'extending through openings 42 and 43 in the upper and lower end plates 16 and 17. as shown in Figs. 2 and' 3, which holes 42 and 43 are preferably situated on a ldiametral plane extended through the take-up device 13. The upper end plate 16 has a plurality of openings 44 therein through which conductors or iiexible members 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, and are extended so as to pass around respective secondary sheaves 27, as indicated at 51 in Fig. 1.

It will be perceived that each of the conductors 41 and 45 through 50 extends" down into the casing 11 in the form of a take-up loop, such as the loop 40 of the conductor 41 and the loop 52 oir' the conductor 50. Each of these conductors is secured at its leitward end to a stationary structure 55 and is secured at its rightward end to a down# wardlyprojecting part 56 of a carriage 57 having wheels 58 whereby it may move freely along'longitudinal tracks 59. The leftward ends of the conductors are preferably carried around a member 60 having curved channels therein, and sheaves, as indicated at 62 in'Fig. 1, may be employed to support the rightward portionsof the conductors where they leave the upper end of the casing 11 and turn toward the carriage 57. The conductor 41, extending around the primary sheave 24, carries the weight of such sheave'and the frame 15 which is attached thereto. The conductors 45 through 50 each individually support a sheave 27 and the slide member 28 in which such sheave is rotatably supported, the slide member being preferably of metal plates, such as indicated at 30, andthereby serving as a weight` associated with the sheave. The depending loop 40 formed by the conductor 41 within the casing 11 is held taut due to the weight of the frame 15, the tautness of this loop 40 being maintained regardless of the length of the loop, which length of loop changes as the carriage 57 is moved on t-he track 59. In a like manner, the ldepending loops in the conductors 45 through 50 are each held taut due to the weight of the respective sheaves 27 around which they are carried and the weight of the slide members 28 associated with the sheaves 27. In view of the fact that the sheaves 24 and 27 are relatively movable in vertical diT rection, each depending loop in a conductor is held taut independently ofthe remaining loops, this condition prevailing whether the frame l15 and its associated parts are supported in raised or lowered position within the casing 11 in response to movement oi the carriage 57 toward one end or the other of the track 59. Y

The conductor 41 may be an electric cable for conducting electric'current tothe electrically operated parts carried by the carriage 57, and the remaining conductors 45 through 50 may be lengths of flexible tube or hose through which the various luids required in the operation of mechanism carried by the carriage 57 may be conducted. The conductors are subject to variation in their length, this resulting from the various causes such as contraction and expansion due to changes in temperature and contraction and expansion due. to changes in pressure within those conductors which are in the form of tubular members through which the various liquids and gases are carried from a source of supply, such as the valve of Fig. 1, to connectors, such as indicated at 71, mounted on the downwardly projecting por tion 56 of the carriage 57.

lt is plainly evident that the depending loops in the various conductors cannot be maintained at a constant length under the conditions in which they are employed, but'this change in the length of the variousloops is taken care of by therelative movement belos las

, loop 40 will cause the frame formed by the tween the various sheaves 24 and 27 carried by the frame 15. Should the change in length of the conductor 11 be greater than the change in length of the conductors 45 through 50, the change in the length of the `15 to move relative to the slide members 28, and should the change in length of one or more of the conductors e5 through 50 be greater than the change in length ofthe remaining conductors, the sheaves 27 and .slide members 28 associated therewith will move on the slides bars 18 to such relative positions as will compensate for the change in length of these conductors.

Although we have hereinv shown a simple and practical embodiment of our invention,

it is recognized that certain parts or elements thereof are representative of other parts, elements, or mechanisms which may be employed in substantially the same manner to accomplish substantially the same results; therefore, it is intended that the invention shall not be limited to the details disclosed herein but shall have the scope of the follow-A ing claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A take-up device of the character de scribed for use in holding taut a plurality of flexible members, including: a movable primary member having a primary loop engaging element for engaging a loop in one of said flexible members; and a plurality ofsecondary loop engaging elements, said secondary elements being longitudinally movable on said primary member and veach engaging a lpop in one of the remaining flexible memers. 2. A take-up device of the character described for use in holding taut a plurality of flexible members, including a primary member having a primary loop engaging element for engaging a loop in one of said flexible members; a plurality of secondary loop engaging elements, said secondary elements being longitudinally movable on said primary member and each engaging a loop in one of the remaining flexible members; and means for guiding said primary member for movement in a longitudinal direction with respect to the loops of said flexible members.

3. A take-up device of the character described for use in holding taut a plurality of flexible members, including: a movable frame having longitudinal slides thereon; a primary sheave .supported by said'frame so as to engage a loop in one of saidfflexible members; a plurality of movable slide members held in said slides of said frame ,and a sheave carried by each of said slide members for engaging a loop in one of the remaining of said flexible members.

4. A take-up device of the character described for use in holding taut a plurality of flexible members, including: a movablek frame; upright guides for said frame.; aprimary; sheave on said frame for engaging one of said flexible members,the weight of 'said frame holding said vflexible lmember taut; 'a plurality of slides onsaid frame a plurality of slide members working on said slides;v and a secondary'sheave carried by each-.of said slide membersy for Y engaging loops inthe remaining' of said lflexible members, the weight of each slide member holding its respective gaging said frame; a primary sheave-on saidv frame for engaging one of said flexible members, theweight ofsaid frame holding .said

flexible member taut; a plurality of slides on said frameya plurality of slide members working on said slides; and a secondary sheave carried by each of said slide members for engaging loops in the remaining of sai flexible members, the weight, of each slide member holding its respective loop taut.

6. A take-up device of the character described for use in holding taut a plurality of flexible members, including: a movable` frame; rigid upright guides for determining the movement of said frame; and a plurality of sheaves carried by said frame, one of said sheaves being rotative on an axis stationary relative to said frame, and the remaining of said sheaves being longitudinally movable relative to said frame.

7 A take-up' device of the character described for use in holding taut a plurality of flexible members, including: frame; rigid guides for determining a longitudinal path of movement of said frame; and a plurality of sheaves carried by said frame, one of said sheaves being rotative o-n an axis stationary relative to said frame, and the remaining of said sheaves being longitudinally movable relative to said frame.

8. A take-up device of the character described for use in holdingtaut a plurality of flexible members, including: a movable frame vcomprising a pair of end plates and parallel pairs of bars extending between said end plates; a sheave mounted on said movable frame so as to rotate on an axis which is stationary relative to said frame; a plurality ofl slidemembers sliding on said bars; and a sheave carried by each of said slide members.

9. A take-up device of the character described for'use in holding taut a plurality of flexible members, including: a movable frame; a primary sheave mounted on an axis stationary with respect to said frame; a plurality of secondary sheaves longitudinally movable on said frame; and a weight cona movable Y n nected to each of said secondary sheaves.

10. A take-up device of the character described or use in holding taut a plurality of z liexible members, including: a. movable 5 frame; a primary sheave mounted on an axis stationary with respect to said frame; a plurality of secondary sheaves longitudinally movable on said frame; a Weight connected to l, each of said secondary sheaves, said frame 'um serving as a Weight for said primary sheave;

and rigid guides for said frame.

11. A take-up device of the character described for use in holding taut a plurality of flexible members, including: a movable '1g frame; a primary sheave mounted on an axis stationary With respect to said frame; a seconda-ry sheave longitudinally movable on said frame; a Weight connected to said secondary sheave, said frame serving as a Weight for said primary sheave; and rigid guides for said frame.

In testimony whereof, We have' hereunto set our hands at Los Angeles, California, this 31st day of January, 1930.

' CLARENCE J. COBERLY.

ERNEST S. C'RO'ASDALE. 

